tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81538461233645446442018-03-09T06:47:30.103+00:00Joleen's<p align="left">Welcome to Joleen's! Where she lives in terms of the link between the mental and cyber spaces. <br> <br>A mixture of serious thoughts on various issues, fun stuff and even seriously flippant posts. Also, occasionally a few poems or maybe if you're lucky a short story. It's all pretty random, really.<br>
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Joleen likes comments so please leave some! :) </p>Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-47709840869232587742011-07-20T12:00:00.004+01:002011-07-20T12:00:22.378+01:00Twitter vs facebook&nbsp;<b>Twitter versus facebook - a poem</b><br /><br /><b>Tweet tweet.&nbsp;</b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><b>One hundred and forty characters, in which to share your thoughts.&nbsp;</b><br /><b>Simple.</b><br /><b>Succinct. </b><br /><b>See something</b><br /><b>Tweet about it,</b><br /><b>Suddenly</b><br /><b>It is shared across the world.&nbsp;</b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><b>Status update</b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><b>Everything from personal to professional to&nbsp;</b><br /><b>Proof of how wonderful your friends are. </b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><b>Photos of babies and rants about irresponsible dog owners</b><br /><b>Virtual coffee mornings</b><br /><b>With the occasional poke.&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><br /><br />I love both twitter and facebook (especially since I can access them on my phone - helps me stay in touch with the world). The way I see it though, they aren't really in competition.<br /><br />Twitter is where I share&nbsp; my thoughts.<br />Facebook is where I share my life.<br /><br />Facebook is for the personal, for my close friends and family. Twitter is for everyone else. My tweets are there for all the world to see. My facebook profile is hidden behind walls of privacy settings.<br /><br />Twitter is also linked to my professional identity. Me as a writer, a creative writing facilitator.<br /><br />Facebook is personal. It's where I share my feelings about being a mum, among other things.<br /><br />When I enter twitter, I am a slightly different person to the one that wanders around facebook.Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-70987422960243709162011-07-18T11:00:00.000+01:002011-07-18T11:00:08.228+01:00Other writers...So I haven't had much time for writing lately, so I figured I could take the opportunity to tell you about some other very talented writers...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qgtUnVadhc0/TiLVZSqXLNI/AAAAAAAABHI/pMbF0YJm9ik/s1600/Behind+the+Shutters+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qgtUnVadhc0/TiLVZSqXLNI/AAAAAAAABHI/pMbF0YJm9ik/s200/Behind+the+Shutters+cover.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>There is the darkly talented Jo Robertson, co-author of Casting Shadows, who has released a volume of horror short stories. <br /><br /><br />Behind the Shutters is a great collection of short stories set in that most horrifying of landscapes - the seeming innocence of suburbia. The opening story, My Name is Graham Roper, is my favourite. It is the perfect example Jo's darkly humorous writing. I dare you to read this book and not laugh out loud at one page, then cower in terror at the next!<br /><br /><br />Behind the Shutters is available from <a href="http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/behind-the-shutters/13007201?productTrackingContext=search_results%2Fsearch_shelf%2Fcenter%2F1">Lulu</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Behind-Shutters-Jo-Robertson/dp/1446635929/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1310905901&amp;sr=8-1">Amazon</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />If fantasy is more your thing, you could always read The Kingdom of Malinas by E.J. Tett. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z4myth_Mraw/TiLWnxumeWI/AAAAAAAABHQ/lLDqJfxlkwk/s1600/Kingdom+of+Malinas+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z4myth_Mraw/TiLWnxumeWI/AAAAAAAABHQ/lLDqJfxlkwk/s200/Kingdom+of+Malinas+cover.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It is a Young Adult fantasy, but I found there was plenty in it for adult readers - particularly if you like your female characters feisty, and not damsel-in-distress types.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h42uVk7mAJI/TiMqhNDCTLI/AAAAAAAABHY/rwpDQ2XssH8/s1600/Empress+Graves+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h42uVk7mAJI/TiMqhNDCTLI/AAAAAAAABHY/rwpDQ2XssH8/s200/Empress+Graves+cover.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><br />The Kingdom of Malinas is the first in the trilogy: the second book, The Empress Graves , is also out. The final part will be out soon, so now would be a great time to read the first two!<br /><br />The Kingdom of Malinas and The Empress Graves are available from<a href="http://stores.lulu.com/em_j"> Lulu</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingdom-Malinas-J-Tett/dp/141208976X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1310927571&amp;sr=8-1">Amazon.</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Also available is Magenta Shaman by <a href="http://lilychildsfeardom.blogspot.com/p/magenta-shaman.html">Lily Childs</a>, available on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magenta-Shaman/dp/B004YR560O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1304276396&amp;sr=8-1">Amazon</a> for kindle download.<br /><br /><br />So go check these writers out, have a read of the wonderful work they have to offer!&nbsp;Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-20356043232946034512011-06-27T23:18:00.000+01:002011-06-27T23:18:46.020+01:00What have I been doing?! Well...There is the horror of the dirty nappies....the shrieks and squeals of a little girl who likes to make a lot of noise. Parenting is a full time job, it appears. I don't seem to be able to find a lot of time for writing. There are ideas floating around in my head, but getting them down is another story (pun not really intended). They're also all quite vague, nothing quite story-shaped just yet. Maybe I should try a few writing challenges to get back into it...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />There has been sadness as well. We had to say goodbye to Muttley a few weeks ago. He was barely mobile, and getting incontinent. It was hard seeing him like that, and hard for him to be like that. This is how I want to remember him:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mG0VsYruqr8/Tgj-RKSjNtI/AAAAAAAABFM/qVwYhTC1op4/s1600/DSC00161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mG0VsYruqr8/Tgj-RKSjNtI/AAAAAAAABFM/qVwYhTC1op4/s200/DSC00161.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br /><br />Heading to the beach<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XHUWvY8ZuO4/Tgj-d_bH8YI/AAAAAAAABFY/5672CSB6llU/s1600/BILD0260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XHUWvY8ZuO4/Tgj-d_bH8YI/AAAAAAAABFY/5672CSB6llU/s200/BILD0260.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />At the beach<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Savaging a stick...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JC56Pgjn8Dc/Tgj-z_G0pFI/AAAAAAAABFo/8riN7b_4kAw/s1600/BILD1989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JC56Pgjn8Dc/Tgj-z_G0pFI/AAAAAAAABFo/8riN7b_4kAw/s200/BILD1989.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pG112Qyw0XU/Tgj-aDZ6VqI/AAAAAAAABFU/wuRG1N5gbls/s1600/sandwolf+closeup.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pG112Qyw0XU/Tgj-aDZ6VqI/AAAAAAAABFU/wuRG1N5gbls/s640/sandwolf+closeup.bmp" width="499" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><br />Goodbye, Muttley.<br /><br />He was a great dog and will never be forgotten.Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-18664250767135184902011-04-21T12:37:00.000+01:002011-04-21T12:37:57.528+01:00Publication, yay...Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine.My story, The Venetian, features in April's issue of <a href="http://bloodtouch.webs.com/darkgothicmagazine.htm">Dark Gothic Resurrected</a> magazine.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4O2buOqHiIs/TbAW8Tft_0I/AAAAAAAABEg/qiPcHCWw9jc/s1600/featured+at+DGR+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4O2buOqHiIs/TbAW8Tft_0I/AAAAAAAABEg/qiPcHCWw9jc/s1600/featured+at+DGR+logo.jpg" /></a></div>Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-15144010106424083222011-04-05T17:30:00.000+01:002011-04-05T17:30:38.989+01:00I miss writing...No chance for writing these days, any time I have to spare (which isn't a lot) is spent studying and writing essays, and trying to maintain some kind of cleanliness in the pigsty I call home...<br /><br />In about 6 weeks I have exams and then I will have a few months off study at least, so hopefully my little darling will sometimes spare me time to write a story or two.<br /><br />I also look forward to catching up on all your blogs and escapades...I have not forgotten any of you, I'm just hibernating my writing-self.Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-15033250686849793332010-12-06T19:08:00.003+00:002010-12-06T19:08:00.281+00:00Save the wordsI don't have a lot of time for blogging what with the little one, but I do still find time to browse the net &amp; I found this site:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.savethewords.org/">Save the Words</a></b></span><br /><br /><br /><br />&nbsp;Words that have fallen out of regular use ask you to adopt them - i.e. agree to use them regularly.<br /><br />Some great words that are worth knowing just for their scrabble values. And because they sound cool. Examples include:<br /><br /><b><br /></b><br /><b>Quaeritate</b> (to ask)<br /><b>Odynometer</b> (an instrument for measuring pain - nice word for a horror writer? I'm sure an evil character could find a use for one of those...)<br /><b>&nbsp;Viliorate </b>(to deteriorate)<br /><b>Snollygoster </b>(a shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician - appropriate for the times we live in!)<b><br /></b><br /><br /><br />...go check out the site! I'm sure we could all improve our vocabulary!Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-53758147477366697312010-11-28T14:37:00.000+00:002010-11-28T14:37:08.818+00:00Too happy to write horror...As many of you know, I was pregnant...well I had a beautiful baby girl almost 3 weeks ago.<br /><br />She is perfect :-)<br /><br />I will get back to writing dark fantasy, apocalyptic &amp; horror stories again but at the moment everything is too full of loveliness and light :-) <br /><br />I will also get around to commenting and reading people's blogs again - once I come to terms with this new "sleep" cycle which mostly involves not sleeping.<br /><br />She's so worth it though :-) Nothing beats this feeling &amp; even though I'm a writer I can't begin to describe it!Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-39207857068364408272010-10-20T18:27:00.000+01:002010-10-20T18:27:25.408+01:00Random - Giant Cats, The SimpsonsI have nothing new to share regards writing, or babies...my brain appears to have stopped working though, so just to make sure you don't all forget about me I thought I should do a post of some description...<br /><br />So, some random things that attracted my attention recently:<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1131292603"><br /></a><br /><b><a href="http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/new-record-for-worlds-longest-cat-478429.html">Longest cat in the world.&nbsp;</a></b><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cat is over 48 inches (4 feet!) long.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">I want one of those.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1131292609"><br /></a><br /><b><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/8069472/Homer-Simpson-is-a-true-Catholic.html">The Vatican has found time to declare that Homer Simpson is a Catholic.&nbsp;</a></b><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Well seeing as God is fictional I suppose it's only fair the congregation is too...</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Still, seems like the Vatican should really be busying themselves with a few other issues than claiming cartoon characters...</span><br /><br /><br /><b><a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-social-thinker/201010/have-scientists-finally-discovered-evidence-psychic-phenomena">A study claims to have evidence for psi-phenomena or non-linear time</a></b><br /><div style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.mothershandbook.net/">via TheMother - mothershandbook.net</a></span></i></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Umm...yeah. Seems more like a study about attention and memory retrieval and how existing information effects how we encode new...but clearly it sounds way cooler to say it's evidence for people predicting the future. Ahem. </span>Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-59910312600643702372010-10-13T12:24:00.001+01:002010-10-13T13:02:15.610+01:00House of Horror Best of 2010 Featuring...me!Earlier this year, I had a story accepted for publication on House of Horror. That story was <b>Mike Patterson, Murderer</b>, and you can read it <b><a href="http://www.houseofhorror.org.uk/#/mike-patterson-murderer/4540323464">here. </a></b><a href="http://www.houseofhorror.org.uk/#/mike-patterson-murderer/4540323464"><br /></a><br /><br />Mike Patterson, Murderer, is a tale about a man undergoing a mid-life crisis, who kills without compunction as an alternative to what he sees as the more pathetic middle-aged antics of his peers.<br /><br /><br />The excellent news is, my story has been selected as one of the best pieces on House of Horror in 2010 and therefore features in the anthology! So if you would rather read it in a book than off the screen...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TLRo6SWgdTI/AAAAAAAAAc0/iICJFcFYjos/s1600/HOH+Best+of+2010+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TLRo6SWgdTI/AAAAAAAAAc0/iICJFcFYjos/s320/HOH+Best+of+2010+cover.JPG" width="219" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />You can order a copy of House of Horror: Best of 2010 on the <b><a href="http://www.houseofhorror.org.uk/#/book-shop/4535143845">House of Horror bookshop</a></b>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />If you do order a copy, please quote my name as I get royalties that way!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TE7WiMsZSDI/AAAAAAAAAWw/ixLy2CURIdE/s1600/Stitched+up%21+cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TE7WiMsZSDI/AAAAAAAAAWw/ixLy2CURIdE/s200/Stitched+up%21+cover.JPG" width="148" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Even if you don't order a copy of this book, it's well worth taking a look at the spooky <b><a href="http://www.houseofhorror.org.uk/">House of Horror </a></b>website.There are loads of great stories, poems and book reviews to read, and plenty of other anthologies to buy, including Stitched Up! which also features one of my stories, a zombie-tale called White Christmas. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />You can also follow the owner and head editor of House of Horror, S.E. Cox, on blogger - for updates on House of Horror including calls for submissions, anthology releases and more news on HoH's plans to seek novel submissions next year, as well as book reviews and interviews. S.E. Cox's blog is here:<b> <a href="http://house-madam.blogspot.com/">http://house-madam.blogspot.com/</a></b><br /><br />Over all 2010 has been a great year so far - I've had quite a few pieces accepted for anthologies now. Can't beat seeing my name in print!Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-83141532886471068472010-10-10T10:00:00.019+01:002010-10-10T10:00:02.071+01:00Just the Dust - A short story from Casting Shadows<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TE3kbrxhvyI/AAAAAAAAAWY/loGjRC0H7DM/s1600/casting+shadows+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TE3kbrxhvyI/AAAAAAAAAWY/loGjRC0H7DM/s320/casting+shadows+cover.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>This story is the opening one in <a href="http://stores.lulu.com/joemjo">Casting Shadows</a>. I am publishing it here today because today's date, ten-ten-ten (10/10/10) features in the story, so it seemed appropriate. <br /><br /><br />Would anyone like to review Casting Shadows, by the way? If so, please send an email to<br /><div style="background-color: white; color: magenta;"><span style="font-size: large;">joleenkuyper (at) gmail (dot) com</span></div><br />I don't have any hard copies at the moment but you can have the PDF, I'd love to get another review for the collection especially as it's coming up to Halloween! It's a mixture of stories and poems, mostly horror-speculative-dark fantasy genres. By Joleen Kuyper (me!), <a href="http://emmy-j.blogspot.com/">E.J. Tett </a>and Jo Robertson. If it sounds like the kind of thing you'd be interested in, send me an email! <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><u><b><span style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Just the Dust</span></b></u><br /><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Ashes. Nothing left, just the dust swirling in the air. Too light to touch, but choking and dark. It blocked out the light. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Her voice was croaky, and it echoed as she called for help. There were no replies. Her mouth tasted funny. Blood mixed with the smoky taste of the dust. She swallowed. A wave of nausea came over her. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">What happened? The question came to her mind suddenly. Immediately, others followed. She couldn’t remember anything else either. Who am I? She wondered. For some reason the terror of that thought made her shudder more than the situation she found herself in. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She tried to move her legs. They were trapped under something. Whatever it was, it was heavy. The air was still too thick for her to see. She coughed, her chest hurt. She called for help again and again until her throat hurt too. There was no answer. There was nothing; just her and whatever was pinning her down. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Her head hurt as well. A tear rolled down her cheek. I’m going to die here, she thought. She sobbed until her head felt it would burst and a mixture of tears and blood from her cuts rolled into her mouth. She wondered if her own blood and tears dribbling into her would save her from dying of thirst. She didn’t think it would.</div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Her throat was too raw now to even shout and she didn’t think she had the energy to cry. Strangely, as well as desperate and terrified, she felt bored. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Think! She told herself. I have a name, I have a life. I must have. No answers came. The air didn’t hurt her nostrils anymore but she still couldn’t see anything. She couldn’t be sure if it was dark or the air was still clogged up. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">I’m bored. What would I like to be doing? She asked herself. Something with my hands. Maybe I’m an artist? She wondered, then frowned. No. That wasn’t right. Busy hands, always moving. Something to do with a computer, she realised. I type quickly. A hundred words per minute. How can I be so certain of that and not know my own name? </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She felt like drifting off to sleep, tried to force herself to stay awake. Remember something else. Something that might help, she instructed herself firmly. There must be someone looking for me, missing me. I’ve been here hours, she thought. It must be hours. A mother or father, brother or sister, friend or lover? A child? She wondered. Am I gay or straight? How can I not know? </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She tried to think of celebrities, which images turned her on. Angelina Jolie came to her mind. Lesbian? She wondered, but soon imagined both Angelina and Brad Pitt in bed, with her. In her mind they had faces, she did not. Bi, or bi-curious, she mused, forcing away the fear at not knowing what she looked like. “How can I know who they are and not myself,” she muttered in a coarse whisper. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She tried touching her face to figure out what her features were. All she could feel was the dust and scrapes. Her nose felt big, she realised after she poked and prodded at herself more. And her lips were narrow. She felt down. Large chest, medium waist. Her legs were still painful, though it was more a dull ache now. She thought they were long but she wasn’t sure. “Quite tall,” she muttered. She still couldn’t picture what she looked like. Her hair was dry with dust and matted with blood, and she couldn’t remember what colour it was. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">“What day is it? What year?” she asked herself aloud. Hearing her voice helped her concentrate. “What accent am I speaking in? Where am I from?” </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">“Ten, ten, ten,” she said suddenly. “October tenth, two thousand and ten. That must be the date, today’s date. Or maybe a date important to me.” She could see her hands suddenly, inputting the date into a computer. Slim fingers. Today’s date, she thought. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">“Seven, seven, eighty-two,” she said after a moment. My date of birth, she thought, something told her she was right. “I’m twenty eight,” she said aloud, gravity in her voice, as if it would unlock the puzzle and set her free. Nothing happened. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">I’m getting somewhere, she thought. If I can just work out who I am and why I’m here, maybe I can get out of here. She knew that she couldn’t afford to go to sleep. Knew that could mean never waking up again. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She tried to focus on the image of herself tapping away on the computer keys, remember what data apart from the date she was inputting. Am I at work, she wondered, was there an accident? A terrorist attack maybe? There must be someone looking for me! “Help!” she shouted, her throat raspy and sore. No response, no sound, nothing. Just dark emptiness. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">“Six-o-six,” she said aloud then. A train, a train home? What route? What line? Victoria? “I’m in London,” she said, nodding to herself. “London,” she repeated. It felt good, to know where she was. The tube. Some kind of accident, I’m buried in a tunnel. They will come to dig me out. Why don’t I have a mobile phone? She wondered. She had nothing but the clothes on her back. No gadgets, no handbag, no purse or wallet. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Where is everyone else? If I was on the train it must have been crowded. There must have been other people. They can’t all be dead, surely? Panic gripped her as she started to fear being given up on, her breathing became fast and shallow and she felt her eyes grow watery again. Can’t cry, or I’ll get dehydrated, she told herself as she brought her breathing under control, forced herself to calm down. I have to figure out how to get the hell out of here, never mind who I am, that can come later in a nice clean hospital bed with a shrink or whatever. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She took a few slow, deep breaths and leaned forward as far as she could until the pain was too much to bear. Holding her breath helped a little. Whatever was on her legs was metallic and very heavy. She thought they were probably broken; she had some feeling in them but couldn’t manage to move her toes. A memory came back to her of having broken her leg at school; before being taken to casualty the teacher had taken off her shoe and sock and asked her to wiggle her toe. She could hear the teacher in her mind, speaking her name, but couldn’t make out the word. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">“Never mind that,” she muttered to herself. “First things first.” She thought that maybe it was a part of the train carriage that was on her legs. It was heavy and though her legs were probably broken she couldn’t feel any wounds in them, no jagged shards poking out. She summoned up her strength and heaved, but she couldn’t get the right angle, couldn’t manage to shift it even the tiniest bit. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Spots appeared before her eyes as she exerted herself, and when they cleared as she took slow, deep breaths again she realised the air was clearing, there was a light in the distance somewhere. “Here! Please, help! I’m trapped!” she called as loudly as she could manage, which wasn’t as loudly as she would have liked. There was no response, no movement. No sound. Just a light in the tunnel, she thought. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She tried lifting again, then using her hands to tug at her legs but she couldn’t get anywhere. The silence disturbed her more with every minute that passed. The light down the tunnel blinked a few times, then went off. Complete darkness again. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">There weren’t any animals either, she realised. There should be rats or something, surely, in the tunnels? There was nothing. Just her. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">A wave of nausea came over her again as blood trickled down her throat from the back of her nostrils, and she gagged. Blood dribbled down her nose as well now, and she wiped it away with her sleeve. It too, was covered in dust. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She squirmed around some more, feeling for something that might be able to help her. A wedge of metal lay behind her head and she dragged it over her, little by little, and jammed it under the other piece, then rolled onto her side to push down on it with the weight of her body. She felt the pressure on her legs give way a little and once again reached for them with her hands, pulling them out. This time, she managed. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Which way? She wondered as she glanced around her. She wasn’t even certain anymore which direction the light had been in; the darkness was disorienting. She lay back down, her legs on top of the sheet of metal now rather than beneath it, to get her bearings. She started to crawl in the direction of the light, dragging her legs. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She was definitely in a tunnel, she thought as she made her way along a solid wall. It suddenly gave way, prodding with her hands she realised she’d reached a flight of stairs. She hauled herself up a couple, found it excruciatingly difficult. Her legs were a dead weight behind her. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">A few at a time she made some progress. There was still no sign of anyone else, dead or alive. Just the dust. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She reached a plateau. A floor that was smooth beneath the coating of ashes, it was easier to move along. She wasn’t really thinking about anything but moving when the word iodine popped into her head. Iodine? She wondered. What’s that about? </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">It was still dark, though not as dark, but she still couldn’t see anything. The only difference was that now it was grey rather than black. A sickly kind of grey. She could just about see her hands, they were covered with sores, blood oozed out of her. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Suddenly she stopped; she heard something. Something scuttling, moving quickly toward her. She screamed as it passed over her hand. A huge beetle, maybe a cockroach. Just one. “Calm down, Lisa,” she said aloud suddenly. “Lisa! My name! I’m Lisa!” A wave of elation hit her. “It’s all coming back,” she thought. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">“Calm down, Lisa,” she muttered again. Someone had said that to her. A man, older, her father perhaps? What had she been doing? She saw a newspaper article. Nuclear hostilities a possibility. She felt her panic on that day. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">“Scaremongering,” her father had said. “They said that all during the cold war, we’re still here.” She took the iodine tablets anyway, the ones they sent out. Bought more on the internet, dosed herself with them. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Conspiracy theories. Ten, ten, ten. Today’s date. The end of the world. It was all over the internet. She looked at her hands again. The sores were getting worse, she thought. Even iodine couldn’t put off the inevitable forever. She’d run for the tunnels, not to catch a train. To hide from the blast. None of her friends had believed her. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TK7hFtk6BLI/AAAAAAAAAcs/Q8P2qog8klk/s1600/justthedust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TK7hFtk6BLI/AAAAAAAAAcs/Q8P2qog8klk/s320/justthedust.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She looked around again. Knew where she was. London, St. Pancras. Except there was nothing there. Just dust. She heard another cockroach scuttling around nearby. More of them, behind her now. They were coming for her. She pulled herself further along, but they came nearer. She winced as a piece of skin peeled off the palm of her hand. Heard the roaches eating it as she moved onward.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-75168939438158729572010-10-07T12:33:00.001+01:002010-10-07T12:34:27.506+01:00Misty Morning - A Short StoryA flash fiction. I wrote and revised this as part of <a href="http://www.foldedword.com/folded_home.html">Folded Word</a> 24/7, in which participants wrote a piece a day for the month of August. <br /><br />Enjoy! <br /><br /><br /><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><b>Misty Morning</b></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She climbed the tower as she did every morning. Today was different though. Usually the whole town was visible and she started her days by surveying it, and dreaming of what she would one day do. Now she couldn’t. Everything was hidden behind a shroud of mist. What little she could see was blurred and grey, and all the sounds were muffled. She felt like the only person left on earth. It left her feeling powerful and sad simultaneously as she climbed down. She could not do what she intended. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">She went into the world as normal. Participated in the usual doing of job, paying of bills, answering of questions or whatever passed for dialogue. Pretended to be normal, as she did every day. She concealed the rage within her core, as before. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">The mist did not burn off as the day progressed. The light remained the same shade of grey, only the movement of the clock indicated that time was passing at all. As evening arrived she climbed the tower once more and surveyed the valley. It was still hidden. Cloaked in mist. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">They’re safe, she thought as she took the rifle apart again. They’re safe for at least one more day. If I can’t see them, I can’t shoot. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Darkness fell, and the mist remained.</div>Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-12039471487668186802010-10-05T12:59:00.000+01:002010-10-05T12:59:00.779+01:00My name is...<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is a repost of a post from <a href="http://joleenkuyper.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-name-is.html">June</a>. Yup, I am that lazy! It's still relevant though, hence why I'm posting it again. </span></i><br /><br /><br />Joleen. Yes, Joleen. <b>J</b>-<b>O</b>-<b>L</b>-<b>E</b>-<b>E</b>-<b>N</b>. <br /><br /><b>J</b> for Juliet<br /><b>O</b> for Oscar<br /><b>L</b> for Lima<br /><b>E</b> for Echo<br /><b>E </b>for Echo<br /><b>N</b> for November<br /><br />I am aware that Dolly Parton spelled it differently (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiO3SIOOc_4&amp;feature=related">Jolene</a>).<br /><br />This is probably the most common variation I get. Other common ones are Joeleen, Joelene, Joline, sometimes Joelle and occasionally, Gillian. (I get all sorts of variations on my surname too, but I won't go on about that here).<br /><br />I've grown used to it. Most annoying is when it's spelled wrong on a cheque - especially when I've typed out an invoice with my name on it, spelled correctly. I don't hold the knowledge of how to spell all names in the universe within my brain either - but when I'm writing a letter/email/cheque etc, I do tend to do my best to check how the person I'm addressing it to spells their name. Cheques especially, as the bank has this remarkably annoying tendency not to allow people to cash them if the name on the cheque doesn't match that on the account.<br /><br />&nbsp;What's even more hilarious than people spelling it wrong though, is when people tell me I spell it wrong. I wasn't aware of the law that made Dolly Parton's words (and their associated spellings) some kind of canon. I wasn't named after the song. My name is spelled how it's spelled. It's right, simply because it's what it says on my birth certificate.Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-57913744830257323642010-10-03T12:00:00.004+01:002010-10-03T12:00:02.349+01:00Casting Shadows - Shameless Self Promotion!I've mentioned Casting Shadows a few times, but I've gained some followers since, so I thought I'd do a proper post about it.<br /><br /><br />Casting Shadows is a collection of short stories and poems by Joleen Kuyper (me), E.J. Tett and Jo Robertson. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TE3kbrxhvyI/AAAAAAAAAWY/loGjRC0H7DM/s1600/casting+shadows+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TE3kbrxhvyI/AAAAAAAAAWY/loGjRC0H7DM/s320/casting+shadows+cover.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />The cover image is based on a photo I took, the fact it looks so good is more down to E.J. Tett than me though, as she did the design! <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It was taken in a forest park near where I live.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It is a collection of short stories (some flash-fiction length, others a bit longer) and poems by Joleen Kuyper (me), E.J. Tett and Jo Robertson.<br /><br />The book opens with one of my stories, Just the Dust. This is followed by a poem, Monsters, by E.J. Tett, and next a story, Roses, by Jo Robertson. The book follows this format - story-&gt;poem-&gt;story throughout, alternating between the three authors. <br /><br />The stories and poems are all dark, though they vary between post-apocalyptic, straightforward horror, dark fantasy and just...dark! Hence the title, Casting Shadows. Shadows are dark!<br /><br />While all I can really do is write and maybe take an occasional photograph, E.J. Tett has a few more creative talents up her sleeve - including this slideshow, which also features phrases from the equally talented Jo Robertson's spooky introduction to the book.<br /><br /><br /><div><embed allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="id=64e03a4e-a73e-1f63-9c44-12313b0301a1&amp;c=01,01,02,01" height="300" quality="high" salign="l" scale="noscale" src="http://www.imageloop.com/swf/looopSlider2.swf" style="height: 300px; width: 425px;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" wmode="transparent"></embed><br /><div lang="en" style="padding-top: 3px; width: 425px;" xml:lang="en"><a href="http://www.imageloop.com/setuplooop.htm" target="_blank"><img alt="Your pictures and fotos in a slideshow on MySpace, eBay, Facebook or your website!" src="http://st.imageloop.com/_img/bt_myo_new.gif" style="border: medium none; display: inline;" /></a><a href="http://slideshow.writeright.imageloop.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="view all pictures of this slideshow" src="http://st.imageloop.com/_img/bt_vap_new.gif" style="border: medium none; display: inline; vertical-align: top;" /></a></div></div><br /><br />&nbsp;Casting Shadows is available to buy from:<br /><br /><ul style="color: lime;"><li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://stores.lulu.com/joemjo">Lulu</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Casting-Shadows-E-J-Tett/dp/1409284158/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1276517414&amp;sr=1-8">Amazon.com</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Casting-Shadows-E-J-Tett/dp/1409284158/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1264098181&amp;sr=8-1">Amazon.co.uk</a></span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7894">Smashwords</a></span></li></ul><br />And you can also follow <b><a href="http://twitter.com/Joemjo">Casting Shadows on Twitter</a></b> or <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Casting-Shadows-Anthology/106882104032?sid=b46c255273fa4cef0f4bfab8b5ebb749&amp;ref=search">become a fan on Facebook</a></b> - both good options if you'd like to buy the book, as we'll let you know when there are special offers and promotions taking place!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TE3kbrxhvyI/AAAAAAAAAWY/loGjRC0H7DM/s1600/casting+shadows+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TE3kbrxhvyI/AAAAAAAAAWY/loGjRC0H7DM/s200/casting+shadows+cover.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />Casting Shadows has been reviewed twice - and they're both good reviews!<br /><br /><ul style="color: lime; text-align: center;"><li><a href="http://www.examiner.com/books-in-pittsburgh/independent-book-review-casting-shadows-a-collection-of-dark-tales-and-poems">Review by Holly Christine</a></li><li><a href="http://geoffnelder.wordpress.com/2010/02/21/casting-shadows/">Review by Geoff Nelder</a></li></ul><div style="color: lime;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="color: #38761d;">&nbsp;<u><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The blurb from the back of the book:</span></b></u></div><div style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The smell of roses is sinister rather than sweet. A campfire brings monsters rather than warmth in the woods. Real danger lurks behind the superstitious fear of whistling in the theatre. These are the types of tales contained in this anthology of short stories and poetry by a trio of writers who find their inspiration in darkness: that of night, of the human soul, and of the dangerous things that exist only in the imagination... or do they? Follow the path of darkness if you dare, and be prepared to see danger that lurks under the surface of a calm lake; hear something new and frightening in the sound of a whisper; smell the mystery hidden beneath a cloak of smoke. Be frightened, be intrigued, and enjoy every minute of it as these stories and poems suck you in to the shadows of their dark world.</span></div><br /><br />If you read it, I hope you enjoy it!Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-65631846004907109112010-10-01T12:30:00.003+01:002010-10-01T12:30:01.190+01:00Open markets - Anthologies.A few anthologies that are currently accepting submissions - worth checking out!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bloodboundbooks.net/projects.html"><b>Blood Bound Books - Steamy Screams Anthology</b></a><br /><br />Erotic Horror, 750-5000 words. Payment 3/4c per word. Click the link for more info.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pillhillpress.com/open-submissions.html"><b>Pill Hill Press - Many Anthologies!</b></a><br /><br />Loads of anthologies here, too many to list them all, some paying, some for the love. Various genres - Pill Hill aren't just about Horror. <br /><br /><a href="http://libraryofthelivingdead.lefora.com/"><b>Library of the Living Dead (&amp; sister imprints) - Various Anthologies</b></a><br /><br />Click the link and scroll down to see various anthologies accepting submissions. Everything from comedy horror to GLBT sci-fi. Most anthologies pay 1c/word.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span id="ctl00_mainContent_lblCode"><br /><code><a href="http://www.duotrope.com/index.aspx"><img alt="Duotrope's Digest: search for short fiction &amp; poetry markets" border="0" height="60" src="http://www.duotrope.com/images/linkto/generic_12060_grey.gif" width="120" /></a></code><br /></span>If you're looking for more markets, <a href="http://www.duotrope.com/index.aspx"><b>Duotrope's Digest</b></a> is my favourite writer's resource.You can adjust the search parameters easily, to search for markets in a particular genre, by payscale, anthologies only, or something like whether the market accepts electronic submissions. I also signed up to Duotrope so I can log my submissions - it helps to have an accurate indication of how long it'll take for editors to respond, so I know when to query. <br /><br />Also good is <a href="http://ralan.com/"><b>Ralan</b></a> - plenty of markets listed there as well.Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-2827756757577458362010-09-30T10:00:00.001+01:002010-09-30T10:00:06.087+01:00Acceptance, yay!A story that I've tried for quite a while to find a home for (in various different incarnations and rewrites) has been accepted for publication!<br /><br />The Venetian will appear in <b><a href="http://bloodtouch.webs.com/darkgothicmagazine.htm">Dark Gothic Resurrected</a></b> magazine next year, in April 2011. It's a story about a vampire who finds herself in a damp, grey land and wishes to return to the much nicer setting of Venice where she is from, but being a vampire, her journey isn't easy.<br /><br />Don't worry, I'll be sure to remind you about it at the time as it's quite a while away!Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-26932548554012889642010-09-28T15:00:00.001+01:002010-09-28T15:00:07.392+01:00Life is too short to...?Life is too short to do all sorts of things. I do of course occasionally have to do things that I don't like in order to earn money, or keep someone I care about happy, but I'll only do them if there's some kind of reason behind it. <br /><br />I mentioned to a friend the other day that I consider life too short to do much ironing - I'll iron for a job interview, and that's about it. Otherwise I try to buy and wear clothes that don't wrinkle easily. She said that though she bought clothes that did need ironing, overall she was with me - especially as some people iron things like sheets.<br /><br />Why??? Why would you iron sheets?<br /><br />What else is life too short to bother doing, in your opinion?&nbsp;Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-40919870872827153372010-09-26T11:50:00.000+01:002010-09-26T11:50:22.480+01:00Truth vs Creative Fiction:..All but one of the statements I made about myself <a href="http://joleenkuyper.blogspot.com/2010/09/creative-blogger-award.html">last week</a> were true. <br /><br />The statements were:<br /><ol style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;"><li>Lobsters terrify me.</li><li> I have no middle name.</li><li>When I was a child I played the role of Mary in a school nativity play.</li><li>I love doing bungee jumps.</li><li>The first time I smoked a cigarette, I was 12.</li><li>When I was a teenager I was in a samba-style drumming band.</li><li>I play the same numbers in the lotto every week.</li></ol><br />&nbsp;#4 is the only falsehood. I have never done a bungee jump, though I would love to do one one day, and a parachute jump as well. All the others are in fact true!Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-49825660367153088322010-09-23T20:34:00.000+01:002010-09-23T20:34:50.068+01:00200 daysTomorrow it'll be 200 days since I gave up smoking!!!<br /><br />Yay me.<br /><br />There were some difficult days. Like moving house. And exam time. And various other occasions that I always associate with smoking. But I'm glad I quit....will just have to see if I manage to stay off them long term.<br /><br />According to the facebook app I've added 17 days to my life as well, by not smoking for 200. Well, you know - as long as I don't get hit by a bus or whatever.<br /><br />There are nearly 5000 cigarettes I haven't smoked too. That's a pretty scary amount for a little over 6 months. Funny how it's that figure rather than the life saved or money saved which tends to hit home for me.&nbsp; <br /><br />Busy week so I haven't done any writing, got a few rejections but haven't sent pieces out again...I'll get to it. Will catch up on everyone's blogs as well, haven't been reading or commenting much this week. Hope all is well with everyone &amp; everyone's writing :-)Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-32268296195304205732010-09-19T17:01:00.000+01:002010-09-19T17:01:19.188+01:00Creative Blogger Award!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TJYtWlq7UMI/AAAAAAAAAcg/NOcXB1_ssRk/s1600/award-creative_liar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TJYtWlq7UMI/AAAAAAAAAcg/NOcXB1_ssRk/s320/award-creative_liar.jpg" /></a></div>Firstly, thank you to the darkly talented <b><a href="http://theworksofpixiejking.blogspot.com/">Pixie J. King </a></b>who passed this award on to me! <br /><br />The Creative Blogger award is a 'pass it on' sort of concept, which means that I now get to nominate others for it. Oh, and tell some lies. *ahem* I mean creative fictions.<br /><br /><br /><br />Specifically, I must:<br /><ol><li>Thank the person who gave you the award and link to them.</li><li>Add the award to your blog.</li><li>Tell six outrageous lies about yourself and one truth. (Another variant: Tell six truths and one outrageous lie.)</li><li>Nominate five creative liars/writers and post links to them.</li><li>Let your nominees know that they have been nominated.</li></ol>So #1 is done, thank you, Pixie :-)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>#2 is also done.<br />&nbsp;- So now for the fun stuff!<br /><br />Are these six lies and one truth, or six truthful statements with just one single lie among them? Have a guess, in the comments (and if you know for sure, don't spoil it for the others!)<br />:-) I may tell you next week...though I have been very forgetful, of late. Muahaha.<br /><br /><ol><li>Lobsters terrify me.</li><li> I have no middle name.</li><li>When I was a child I played the role of Mary in a school nativity play.</li><li>I love doing bungee jumps.</li><li>The first time I smoked a cigarette, I was 12.</li><li>When I was a teenager I was in a samba-style drumming band.</li><li>I play the same numbers in the lotto every week.</li></ol><br />So, now to nominate 5 others! This is the hard part...I don't like upsetting or insulting people! And I'm still quite new to the blogger network so I don't have that many connections yet, but some of the people I know all know each other so they've already been nominated! Conflustering. So here goes:<br /><br />E. J. Tett - <b><a href="http://emmy-j.blogspot.com/">Em's Blog of Waffles.</a></b><br />Lee Hughes - <b><a href="http://leehugheswrites.blogspot.com/">Lee Hughes Writes</a></b><br />Lily Childs - <b><a href="http://lilychildsfeardom.blogspot.com/?zx=5e6634b57e03b224">Lily Childs' Feardom</a>&nbsp;</b><br />Rev. Wayne Austin Goodchild - <b><a href="http://theycallmepotato.blogspot.com/">The Change Has Started</a></b><br />Craig Saunders <b>- <a href="http://petrifiedtank.blogspot.com/">Petrified Tank</a></b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><b><br /></b><br /><b><span style="color: lime;">So now to go let these people know I've nominated them, and then I'm done :-) Overall this was definitely fun to do, and it's a great way to showcase other writers' blogs and hopefully get everyone some more hits and followers and fans! So thanks once again, Pixie, and I look forward to reading all your thoughts on which of my fantastic facts are true and which are lies! </span></b>Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-27277753415120220112010-09-17T13:08:00.000+01:002010-09-17T13:08:38.906+01:00What I'm working on...Probably the last regular Friday update for a while. Not that I'm going to go away or anything, but next week I'll have to start studying so I can get a headstart before the baby comes...and then there'll be the small matter of becoming a first-time mum. So now as Summer becomes Autumn, I'm having to accept that I might not have as much time for writing. Nappies and night feeds as well as assignments might have to take priority for a while.<br /><br />Don't worry though, I'll still update the blog and share stories and poems! Just probably a little less, especially once the baby arrives.<br /><br />So, what I'm working on:<br /><br />I finished a draft of the little hillbilly town story, but it needs an awful lot of work yet. So I'll probably try to get some more work done on that. I think now that there might be several stories, set in several different Odd Little Local Towns rather than just the one, as there seems to be too much to fit neatly into one story. Or one town. <br /><br />I also wrote a piece called Disfigured. Just a flash fiction, but I quite liked it, so I submitted it somewhere as soon as it was edited. Fingers crossed!<br /><br />It's been a good week, with one story published on <a href="http://thrillskillsnchills.blogspot.com/2010/09/looking-for-adventure-by-joleen-kuyper.html"><b>Thrillers, Killers 'n' Chillers</b> </a>and another <a href="http://joleenkuyper.blogspot.com/2010/09/acceptance-yay.html">accepted</a> into a Pill Hill Press anthology. <br /><br />Done some reading this week as well - read <b><a href="http://joleenkuyper.blogspot.com/2010/09/book-review-empress-graves-by-ej-tett.html">The Empress Graves by E. J. Tett</a></b>, and I'm also reading <b><a href="http://www.houseofhorror.org.uk/#/book-shop/4535143845">Stitched Up!</a></b>, the <b><a href="http://www.houseofhorror.org.uk/">House of Horror</a></b> anthology which features one of my stories, as well as some other great tales so far. Since next week I really need to start reading Hamlet and and some chapters on cognitive psychology, a YA fantasy novel and some short stories about zombies are the perfect diversion at the moment! <br /><br />Now, since it is Autumn, I think I'll light the fire and try to get some writing done while listening to the rain beating against the window, and the dogs snoring. There's inspiration there, somewhere...Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-68551612968826327262010-09-16T15:40:00.000+01:002010-09-16T15:40:08.254+01:00Acceptance, yay!Two pieces of good news on the writing front!<br /><br />Firstly, today my story <b><a href="http://thrillskillsnchills.blogspot.com/2010/09/looking-for-adventure-by-joleen-kuyper.html">Looking for Adventure</a> </b>appears on the <b><a href="http://thrillskillsnchills.blogspot.com/">Thrillers, Killers 'n' Chillers</a></b> website :-) Go have a read and let me know what you think!<br /><br />And secondly, I have had a story accepted to Pill Hill Press's <b><a href="http://www.pillhillpress.com/2013.html">2013: The Aftermath</a> </b>anthology. Yay!It's a post-apocalyptic story called Stepping on the Bones. Quite dark, but since it's set after the end of the world as we know it, that works quite well :-)<br /><br /><br />Always good to get good news, can't beat the confidence boost of an acceptance!Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-41466559561032541982010-09-15T11:14:00.000+01:002010-09-15T11:14:28.727+01:00Book Review - The Empress Graves by E.J. Tett.<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Firstly, I do want to be open and honest here - I know the author, she's a friend of mine and a co-author of <a href="http://stores.lulu.com/joemjo">Casting Shadows</a>. However, this is a completely honest review of the book. If I didn't like it I would have either not reviewed it, or given it a poor review. You'll just have to trust me on that! </span></i><br /><u><br /></u><br /><u>The Empress Graves by E.J. Tett.</u><br />The Empress Graves is the second book in the Power of Malinas trilogy. (A Young Adult Fantasy Trilogy). In the first book, <a href="http://www.the-kingdom-of-malinas.co.uk/">The Kingdom of Malinas</a>, the lead character Sorrel (a stroppy 16 year old) fights to defend her people from the Lamya who try to enslave them. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TI9yrWmhXxI/AAAAAAAAAcU/ADNkhYZRi1Y/s1600/Empress+Graves+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0oIWkNlKecc/TI9yrWmhXxI/AAAAAAAAAcU/ADNkhYZRi1Y/s320/Empress+Graves+cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />In this follow up, Sorrel is a little older - but still prone to the same impetuousness that on occasion leads her to act first, think later. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />She has grown up somewhat though, and now understands the benefit of discipline in her training as a warrior.<br /><br /><br /><br />She will need that training in order to overcome the challenges posed to her by the evil Empress Graves.<br /><br /><br /><br />Many other characters from the first book also return, and they too are a few years older - and in some cases, a little wiser. In particular, Sorrel's brother Leif, who is now a leader of his people, but doesn't necessarily display the same confidence around his partner Saoirse who is now heavily pregnant. Sorrel's faithful friends Gaeshi and Little Cloud reappear as well, while there are also some new faces - most memorable among them probably the fast-talking Mojag and the playful, if sometimes irritating, Chogan. <br /><br />While the action scenes are exciting and the dialogue is snappy, I think the best thing about these books is the way they turn the traditional gender stereotypes in fantasy on their head. Sorrel is a girl, but don't dare try to put her in a dress. I love The Lord of the Rings, but the female characters in that are generally just window dressing (less so in Peter Jackson's film versions, admittedly). Even the Belgariad by David Eddings, another of my personal favourites, which has strong female characters, still doesn't often hand them swords.<br /><br />Girls aged 12-16 or so have a good role model in Sorrel therefore. She isn't perfect - far from it, in fact. There's plenty for an average bad-tempered, independence-craving but responsibility-shirking teenager to identify with in her character. Especially in this book, where anger threatens to make her enjoy killing and embrace the darkest aspects of her own personality - what teenager hasn't stared into that abyss (well, without the killing part, at least - or I hope so anyway!)? Makes me glad I'm not that age anymore!<br /><br />In general it isn't just Sorrel who is darker in this book. Other characters such as Faerwald also address fundamental questions with a greater level of depth than the first instalment of the trilogy. Me being me, I quite like that. Dark is good, as far as I'm concerned. Of course, it isn't all dark - this is fantasy, it is all about the triumph of good over evil. But the lines between the two aren't always as clear cut as we might like to believe, and The Empress Graves addresses these grey areas nicely.<br /><br />Links for further info:<br /><b><a href="http://www.the-kingdom-of-malinas.co.uk/">The Kingdom of Malinas Website</a></b><br /><b><a href="http://emmy-j.blogspot.com/">E.J. Tett's Blog</a></b>Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-86813191864788625442010-09-14T10:04:00.002+01:002010-09-15T11:23:26.754+01:00Lucky Pen (Short Story)Inspired by an idea I had when doing a Friday Flash Fiction piece for <b><a href="http://lilychildsfeardom.blogspot.com/">Lily Childs' Blog</a></b> (which is well worth a visit, by the way).<br /><br />Every Friday, Lily posts three words which readers are then invited to turn into a story of 100 words or less. You can scroll down the comments <b><a href="http://lilychildsfeardom.blogspot.com/2010/09/lilys-friday-prediction_10.html">here</a></b> to read my original 100 word piece (as well as pieces by other writers). I liked the idea, so I figured I could rewrite it a little longer - and without necessarily having to use the original three words.<br /><br />So here is the newer draft of the story, now entitled Lucky Pen.<br /><br />Comments welcome :-)<br /><br />P.S. Thanks also to <b><a href="http://davidbarberfiction.blogspot.com/">David Barber</a></b> (whose blog is also worth a visit) for pointing out that it's much easier to maintain formatting when copying and pasting from MS Word if I use Edit HTML mode rather than Compose mode. Cheers! <br /><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace; text-align: center;"><u><b>Lucky Pen.</b></u></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Olivia read the exam questions carefully and decided which one to answer. In her head, she composed the essence of her argument before she reached for her pen to begin writing it. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">It was her favourite pen that she selected, the one she had picked up years ago in an odd old shop in a sleepy seaside village. She always seemed to do better in exams when she used that pen, though occasionally she would get mesmerised and distracted by the ornate, unusual designs on it. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Olivia read through her first paragraph before moving on, trying not to allow thoughts of her future to take her mind from the task at hand. This was her final exam, after all. Her last ever one. She could look forward now to the rest of her life, starting with the holiday her boyfriend was planning to take her on. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Just before she continued writing, something in the first paragraph caught Olivia’s eye. The colour of the ink was lighter than usual. Rather than black, it seemed to be a rusty brown. The most recent words, in fact, were almost red. Olivia touched the ink. It was warmer than she would have expected, and sticky. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">As the realisation that it was not ink, but blood, came upon her, Olivia tried to drop the pen, but even when she released it from her grip, the pen did not fall to the small table. It clung on. When she looked at it, she realised it was already larger than it had been before, and it seemed to be pulsating. The designs which had captivated her before looked like veins now as they pumped her blood around the growing object. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Olivia tried to scream, but her throat failed her. When she tried to use her left hand to pry the sinister object from her right, it too was unable to help. The grip of the pen was too strong, it stuck to her like a leech. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">Other students scribbled answers to the questions, oblivious to Olivia as the pen sucked the lifeblood out of her. Her fluid draining, she couldn’t even shed a tear for the tragic fact that her final moments were to occur in an exam. </div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">***</div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;">The exam was over before anyone realised what had happened. The pen lay dormant once more, shrunken back to its normal size, its veins masquerading as beautiful symbols again. While some students screamed and others fainted as the invigilators tried to keep everyone calm until the police arrived, one young woman was not as interested in Olivia’s shrunken corpse as the pen which still lay in her hand. As she filed past, Maria slipped the pen out of Olivia’s grasp and into her own pocket. It was such a beautiful thing, after all. In spite of what had happened to Olivia, in fact, Maria felt it might even be lucky, and she had one more exam to do.&nbsp;</div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Courier New&quot;,Courier,monospace;"><br /></div>Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-43346275940342696622010-09-13T19:24:00.000+01:002010-09-13T19:24:56.621+01:00This is why I won' t get a tattoo...It's been a couple of months, so I figured it was time to change the background.<br /><br />Back in the days I had myspace I used to change the profile page every few days.<br /><br />I could never get a tattoo. I can't imagine one image that I'd want to commit to for the rest of my life. <br /><br />I like this theme now, but in a few months, who knows? I like to have the option to change my mind.Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153846123364544644.post-55184301363758706252010-09-13T14:21:00.000+01:002010-09-13T14:21:53.418+01:00RandomThere's a type of chilli called the <a href="http://www.chileseeds.co.uk/whole_chillies.htm">Devil's Penis</a> (Well, Pene de Diablo. That's what it means). It's pretty small looking, but apparently it's also extremely hot.<br /><br />I'm sure there's a horror story in there somewhere.<br /><br />Or possibly a joke.<br /><br />Perhaps even both?Joleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07589801600522933584noreply@blogger.com6